New hardening admixtures are advancing concrete. One of the big objectives of concrete solutions today is to eliminate the need for expensive repairs and replacements by substantially increasing the service life of buildings and infrastructure.
Today, concrete and associated technologies are evolving quickly, enabling new materials for use on all types of construction projects.
Concrete Admixture Innovation
One new example of this comes from Kryton, which has launched Hard-Cem, a concrete hardening admixture. This is used to increase abrasion and erosion resistance of concrete using technology that extends the wear life up to six times.
For construction companies, an admixture such as this can help overcome deficiencies of surface-applied hardeners and allows usage in horizontal, vertical or inclined concrete and shotcrete surfaces. While this is one case, there are many new solutions that are coming to market today.
Smart Concrete Technology
Combine the advances in admixtures with new smart technology, and concrete structures are more intelligent. Smart concrete technology is a new alternative method for monitoring the health of reinforced concrete structures, according to Transparency Market Research.
It was developed by Dr. Deborah D.L. Chung from State University of New York at Buffalo, and it is fortified with carbon fiber, which comprises as much as 0.2 percent to 0.5 percent of the volume. This can help detect stress or strain in concrete structures.
Here’s how it works: add a small quantity of short carbon fiber to concrete with a conventional concrete mixer to modify the electrical resistance of concrete in response to strain or stress. Then the contact between the fiber and cement matrix is impacted when the concrete is stressed, thus impacting the volume electrical resistivity of the concrete.
This technique is capable of sensing miniscule structural flaws before they become substantial, and it is relatively cheaper than installing sensors inside the concrete.
These are just a few ways that the concrete market is being supercharged for construction, offering easier ways to ensure long-lasting structures, while monitoring structures throughout the life of the concrete.
